German MEP Axel Voss (EPP) presented, on 9 November, his report on AI to the members of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA).
“If we don’t act now, we run the risk that EU values will be marginalised, that our companies will be sidelined”, said Mr Voss, referring to the AI investments already made in China and the US.
“We must remain competitive, this is a strategic development, one of the most important, we cannot afford to fail”, he added, insisting on the need to put people at the centre of risk-based thinking.
In a European Union described as “lagging behind “, the report argues that artificial intelligence should no longer be seen as an “ unpredictable threat”, but rather as a vector of progress in areas such as health, research and the fight against climate change.
However, this approach could be opposed by several parliamentary groups fearing abuses in certain uses of AI. On 5 October, the European Parliament approved a report by Petar Vitanov (S&D, Bulgaria) calling for a permanent ban on the permanent and automated recognition of individuals in public spaces (see EUROPE 12806/18).
“I think that banning one technology is not the smartest answer, a more general approach is needed“, said Axel Voss.
Are we already seeing the beginnings of tension within the European Parliament’s political families? On this point, the rapporteur seemed confident. “I don’t think this will be the most controversial issue. The link between AI and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) should also be much discussed”, he said.
A European Parliament committee dedicated to digital
The report also points out that “ the lack of legal certainty, access to quality data, funding and infrastructure” has led to a decline in the EU’s competitiveness and thus stresses the urgency of working on this issue.
In addition, the report also calls for the creation of a dedicated digital committee within the European Parliament to “effectively address the horizontal challenges” that this topic represents, of which AI is at the heart. “Our legislative structure, including in the European Parliament, is not sufficient”, Mr Voss said.
Finally, the text carried by the German MEP calls on the EU “not to neglect the military and security considerations arising from the global deployment of AI technologies”.
See the report: https://bit.ly/3mWITkr (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)